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John G. Stoffolano Jr.
John G. Stoffolano Jr. is an entomologist. His previous publications include over 150 scientific research articles, ten chapters for various books, and a laboratory manual for begi...view moreJohn G. Stoffolano Jr. is an entomologist. His previous publications include over 150 scientific research articles, ten chapters for various books, and a laboratory manual for beginning entomologists. Stoffolano currently teaches a course at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in cultural entomology. Dr. Stoffolano graduated from high school in 1957, received his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oneonta (1962), did his M.S. at Cornell University (1967) in entomology and received his Ph. D. from the University of Connecticut (1970). After completing his Ph. D. he took a position at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in the Department of Entomology. One year later he took a leave of absence and did a postdoctoral year at Princeton (1971) where he worked with the distinguished, and National Academy of Science biologist and writer, Dr. V. G. Dethier. Professor Dethier moved to Amherst and became the first director of the neuroscience program. Dethier published and won many awards for his nature books. The one related to Stoffolano’s book is “Crickets and Katydids, Concerts and Solos.” In 1993 entomologist Vincent Dethier won the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished nature writing for his book. It was this contact that convinced Stoffolano to focus more on his research into the physiology and behavior of flies and also to focus on more popular writings. Following his year at Princeton, Stoffolano returned to the University of Massachusetts where he has been since. Professor Stoffolano is still doing research and teaching. He has spent sabbatical years doing fly research in London, Siena (Italy), New Zealand, and last spring (2010) he and his wife Susan spent his sabbatical semester in an around the world trip that took them to 5 different countries where he lectured and did research. In South Africa he did research on the tsetse fly that vectors the causative agent of African Sleeping Sickness. He has published over 100 research papers and authored a well known textbook on entomology. This global, sabbatical trip was extremely important for Dr. Stoffolano. It helped him forge his ideas and philosophy about cultural diversity. In fact, he believes that cultural diversity is just as important as biological diversity. He believes that to teach a diversity course, faculty should have considerable experience living with or visiting diverse cultures. In addition to this trip, his previous world travels have greatly influenced developing his new course in Cultural Entomology. It was during his stay in Italy that he began to think more about his Italian roots and growing up on the West End of Gloversville, which was considered home for many Italian immigrant families that came to Gloversville to work in the leather industry. Professor Stoffolano is not the only famous entomologist working on flies to grow up in Gloversville. Dr. C. P. Alexander described more than 10,000 species of crane flies and became world famous for his work on this group of flies. Stoffolano only knew Doc Alex, as he was called, only in his later years where he was professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, also from the same department. “I did not know him prior to joining the faculty at UMass. Stoffolano was recently asked why he wrote a book about a cricket and not a fly. His response was, “Culturally, crickets have played very diverse and more important roles in both indigenous and modern cultures than flies have. Flies have usually been considered a nuisance and everyone wants to kill them.”view less
Books by John G. Stoffolano Jr.
Tonino: The Adventures of a Boy/Cricket from Boston’S North End